


Don't Think of the World (Think of Amnesty)

by MedicalAssisstanceSpareChange



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Amnesty Lodge, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Saturday Night Dead, TAZ: Amnesty - Freeform, Written for thecandlenightszone's secret santa exchange on tumblr!, and about her and amnesty and just. amnesty in general, go check out everything everyone else has made for that exchange it's all incredible, look i just have a lot of feelings about aubrey and family okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22227100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedicalAssisstanceSpareChange/pseuds/MedicalAssisstanceSpareChange
Summary: Aubrey Little hasn't stayed in one place for more than a couple weeks since her home burned. Sometimes, her reasons for wanting to leave are worse than others.Fortunately, this home is pretty good at reminding her why she loves to stay.
Relationships: Aubrey Little & Everyone, Aubrey Little & Mama, Dani/Aubrey Little
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Don't Think of the World (Think of Amnesty)

**Author's Note:**

> Done for @mirammon on tumblr, for @thecandlenightszone's secret santa gift exchange! Mirammon, I hope you (and everyone else, of course) like it! She said she would like anything with found family, so I tried to do that (I really hope the hurt aspect of the hurt/comfort isn't too much, but I promise this ends super happy.) Special thanks to grace for beta'ing and being fantastic as always <3 hope y'all enjoy!

Aubrey knew she got wrapped up in her head sometimes. It had happened a lot on the road, when she was alone with only Dr. Harris Bonkers to keep her company, and it had happened a lot in the past two weeks, after Leo’s shop- after  _ she _ destroyed Leo’s shop. It wasn’t her fault, people said; Duck, showing that he wasn’t even bruised, Ned doing a dance to proclaim that his concussion was gone, Leo promising that he’d be okay and there was plenty of other work to do-

The sound of the metal signpost creaking echoed through her mind, and she inhaled the cold winter air. It stung her throat, her lungs, but it grounded her, helped dispel the what-ifs and the mental images of things going even worse than they had.

Exhale. There was no moon to hide behind her clouding breath, just the view of a starlit winter sky from Amnesty Lodge’s front porch. The silhouettes of trees waved gently in the night breeze, shedding snow like Dr. Harris Bonkers would shed fur in a few months. There was no moon; it had been two weeks since the sign and the funicular and the tree, and in two weeks it would cycle back to hanging brightly in the sky. A never-ending cycle, just like Aubrey and destruction, like Aubrey and running.

She hadn’t been in one place for so long since she left home.

Inhale, the clean, strong scent of pine giving her an excuse for her watering eyes. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest; her enchanted vest did much more against abominations than it did against the chill. She thought about the cold and heading back inside, though she felt rooted in place, like she needed to rip herself free before she couldn’t move; she thought about anything besides what had happened.

Inside, she knew, everyone was settling in to watch Saturday Night Dead. Ned had finally agreed to join the group last week, getting over his own guilt at bringing the FBI’s attention on them all, and his presence had made it all even more enjoyable. He’d be leaning forwards out of his chair right now, telling everyone a wild story about his grifting past that only Moira would truly disbelieve. The ghost would be perched on the piano bench, since she never liked to sit anywhere else, and if they all begged enough she’d add musical stings to Ned’s commentary on the shitty movie. Barclay would still be in the kitchen, frosting the last of the cookies, and Duck would be sitting on the couch next to Jake, who’d accidentally elbow him with every overreaction to Ned’s story. Dani would be in the armchair, saving a spot for Aubrey, and Mama-

“I wasn’t under the impression that our Lady Flame liked freezing.”

Exhale, sharp and quick. Aubrey blinked the tears out of her eyes as she turned to look at the woman behind her. “Hey, um. Didn’t realize you were there.”

Mama stared at her, eyes narrowed, before she sighed and stepped forwards to wrap a warm arm around Aubrey’s shoulder. “No, I guess not. You okay?”

Aubrey shrugged; there wasn’t really any answer other than that. Mama hummed and started steering them towards the entrance to the lobby. “Well, you’ll be a sight better once you’re inside and all warmed up. Barclay made gingersnaps, and you know those go quick, so we better make sure you get a fair chance at eatin’ some.”

“His cookies always go quick. He’s Barclay, he’s the best chef in existence.” Aubrey felt a smile tug onto her face as warmth seeped from Mama into her side. 

“And yet he’ll deny it to Sylvane and back,” Mama sighed, pulling a giggle from Aubrey. “I swear, the man couldn’t figure out how to take a compliment if the Lodge depended on it.”

The door to the Lodge glowed in front of them, reminding Aubrey of the archway, and she paused. The roots were back, tying her in place; something in her didn’t want to go in, didn’t want to  _ stay _ , despite what her heart was saying. Her breath caught in her throat again, and Mama turned with a frown on her face.

“Hey,” she said softly. Her arm slid around and off of Aubrey’s shoulder until only her hand was touching the magician. “Hey now, none of that.”

“I-” The air was stinging her eyes again, and she inhaled, shaky and slow. Her mouth moved, but there were no words to come out. She knew she didn’t really want to pack up and go, didn’t want to run away or isolate, but she couldn’t think of what she really wanted or needed. Couldn’t think of how to say it, so the air just escaped from her lungs silently.

Mama seemed to understand, though. The hand on Aubrey’s shoulder drew her forwards, until Aubrey’s face was against Mama’s shoulder and there were warm arms circling her torso and this was what she needed, this was what she’d been missing. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” Mama murmured into her hair, and Aubrey didn’t cry but she didn’t move for a long time. Mama was warm and safe and Aubrey’s hands crept forwards to reciprocate the hug, fisting in Mama’s coat. Mama was a rock in the crashing sea of Aubrey’s guilt, a safe haven in the blizzard of thoughts that had trapped her that evening, a bastion of love and warmth and how had Aubrey ever thought she should leave?

_ I think of Amnesty Lodge _ , came a thought like a peaceful glow, and something settled in Aubrey’s chest.

“We should go in,” she mumbled into Mama’s shoulder, pulling back. The older woman pushed open the door to let Aubrey in first. 

For a moment, the bright light of the lobby overwhelmed her eyes, leaving her blinking as she tried to adjust. The fire was roaring, all the couches and chairs pulled closer to it and the old TV on a cart in the middle of the half-circle. Barclay was poking his head out of the kitchen and asking if anyone wanted hot cocoa, wild brown hair pulled back with a scrunchy. Moira was leaning over the back of the couch between Jake and Duck, laughing at whatever story Ned was telling- something about skiing in Canada, Aubrey caught, being chased by the police down a mountainside. It was probably true, which was almost more impressive than his feats of agility on the skis.

Mama closed the door behind her and nudged her in the side. “Dani’s been all but pouting the whole time you were outside,” she whispered. “You oughta go sit with her before she starts stealing cookies to cope.”

“Mama!” Aubrey hissed, a flush creeping up her neck. Sure, her and Dani’s mutual attraction wasn’t a secret, but it was almost never discussed unless she was ranting about how cute the Sylph was to Duck. He was incredibly good at listening- even now, as he grumbled at Jake to stop smacking into him, it was clear that he wasn’t missing a single moment of Ned’s story.

Mama moved past her, claiming her spot in a horribly-patterned overstuffed chair by the wall. Barclay walked out with a tray of mugs in one hand and a platter of cookies in the other. “Santa mug is for Aubrey,” he warned, “so don’t be surprised if you steal it and get your face burned off by chili powder.” Duck leaned forwards as Barclay passed and snagged a perfectly baked gingersnap before the tray was even put down. She could smell them from the door, a mouthwatering scent that made her grin as she finally stepped forwards.

“Aubrey!” Dani’s voice, as always, caught Aubrey’s attention. “I saved you a spot, come get it before Jake tries to take it again!”

Jake’s head whipped up. “Who else was I supposed to cuddle with? Duck wasn’t here yet!”

“Hardly call this cuddling, kid,” Duck grunted around his cookie.

“Anyways.” Dani smiled at Aubrey from her seat by the fire. She looked beautiful, her hair glowing orange from the flames behind her. She and Moira were in Sylph form, Aubrey suddenly realized; Stern must have left for the weekend to file a report. “You’re actually warm, so you have Dani-cuddling privileges.”

A quiet laugh escaped Aubrey as she walked over, stopping to take several cookies and her Santa-themed mug of spicy cocoa. Dani held them for her as she settled into the armchair, slinging an arm around the vampire’s shoulders as Ned wrapped up his story and Barclay turned on the TV. 

“Hello, my wonderful audience, and welcome to Saturday Night Dead!” the onscreen Ned announced. “Today we have a true experience for you, a wonderful film made in the eighties…”

Aubrey lost herself in the program, in the feeling of Dani against her side and the sound of her friends- her  _ family _ \- laughing at the show. It had been four months since she arrived in Kepler, since her life gained a semblance of steadiness and permanence again. Four months of home. Of thinking not of the world, but of Amnesty Lodge, whether she was fighting monsters or walking with Duck through the woods or chasing Jake and Dani around the gardens. 

She inhaled, drawing breath for a snort of laughter that nearly pitched her out of the chair. The cocoa burned its way down her throat, sitting warm and delicious in her stomach. Her eyes stung with tears again, this time from laughing too hard, and Dani buried her head in Aubrey’s shoulder with a pretend shriek of fear as the monster suddenly lurched on screen.

Here, surrounded by her new family, Aubrey had never been happier.


End file.
